Morning Walk to Bird Island

After Bryson and Melissa left this morning, I decided to walk down to Bird Island, the unoccupied end of Sunset Beach that actually crosses the state line into South Carolina.  There used to be an inlet of water separating Sunset Beach and Bird Island, but it closed up after one of the fall hurricanes years ago. 

The houses at Sunset Beach are all set well back from the dunes and protective vegetation.  There are long wooden walkways at every block to get to the beach.

When I stopped to take the above picture, I realized that the two little boys on the walkway with me were my great nephew Elijah and unofficial great nephew Ben.  I told them I was their Aunt Jeanne, and walked them down to the tent where my Turner relatives had parked their stuff.  I got invited to dinner with nephew Jeremy, his wife Rhiannon, new baby Jake, and the rest of the family tonight. 

As I walked down the beach, I was struck again by the beautiful open beaches once you pass the last street on Sunset Beach. 

I thought maybe I would walk to the first American flag planted on the dunes, but I felt pretty good and kept going.

Here is the second flag.

Since I walked that far, I decided to keep going all the way to the jetty.

Along the way I saw at least twenty-five of these nasty-looking jellyfish washed up on the beach.

There were a great many "half dollars" and some "sand change", but no intact sand dollars.

Can you see the pelican flying over the waves?

Finally, I arrived at the jetty.

I love watching the waves break on the rocks.

It took me two hours to walk down there and back, and it has taken me two hours to recover!  By the time I got back, it had gotten terribly hot, I was out of water, and my feet and ankles hurt.  A couple of Advil, a shower, a shrimp salad, and air conditioning have brought me around.  Think I will head back down to the water!

Changing of the Guard

All the McBrayers have gone home from the beach except for my son Bryson, his friend Melissa, and me.  All of Charlie's brothers as well as his sister and their families were here last week.

Instead of going home Saturday as usual, we have rented another cottage until next Saturday.

After a nice Father's Day brunch in Calabash, Charlie, Dave, Emily, and my granddog Roo had to leave to go back to work.  Well, not Roo!  Melissa and Bryson are working in Myrtle Beach tomorrow, so they got to stay over another day with Mama!

We spent several nice hours on the beach, but a storm came up and we had to make a quick exit.

The new cottage is on the ocean, so we got a great view of lightning hitting the water for several hours this afternoon.

It got nice and cool, and I think the storms have passed.  Time to fire up the blender and make the margaritas for Bryson and Melissa's last night!

My brother Chris's family has arrived, and they have three cottages on the back bay.  I am very hopeful that my sister will be bringing my father down to stay with me tomorrow, and my brother John should be here on Tuesday.  Charlie will be back on Thursday.  Love both my families!

Spectacular Sunset

Last night's sunset started out golden, reflecting on the waters of the inlet and marsh behind our cottage.

Then some big storm clouds on the mainland rolled past.  The sky and water turned purple and orange.

As it got darker, the color became more intense and dramatic.

Then there was a lightning show in that big cloud on the right.  I was not able to capture that on camera.

A memorable night at Sunset Beach!

OOPS

So, only four days after my darling husband replaced my lost camera, bag, and memory chip and bought an insurance policy for the new one, I reached into my big quilted tote bag and pulled out my old camera bag.  It just jumped into my hand.

.

All the parts are interchangeable, so I now have four batteries, four memory cards, and a backup camera.

The old one actually was on its last legs.  It has been in the shop several times because the lens would not retract.

Now I have one I can take on the beach and not worry about.

Here is my seven-year-old grandson playing ladder ball.



And horseshoes.

We have two other little ones with us...granddaughter Lily, and a friend's little boy named Caden.  Here they are learning to play ladder ball with Dave and Charlie.

Sunset Beach is a wonderful family beach...not too crowded, and lots of sandy beach.  We have seen quite a few dolphins swimming just beyond the breakers.

And it is a good place to celebrate your birthday!  Here's Lily celebrating her fifth!

That quilted tote bag is full of journals and some handwork projects, but they have not been touched yet.  I'd rather play with the kids while they are here. 

Hawaii Night

The cottage that we rent every year is named the Mauna Kea.  This year we decided to have a Hawaii Night.  There were McBrayers in two other cottages that came over for the luaua.

Clam chowder from Bill's Seafood, steamed shrimp, corn on the cob, salad, bread, and grilled fresh pineapple.

All in all, a very fun night!

It was a full moon last night, and the water was so high in the marsh that it totally submerged our dock.

Normally it is well out of the water.  I like this little scene, and sketched it this morning for a possible future watercolor painting.

Too bad I am not having any fun...

On Vacation

My new camera works just fine!

Not a bad way to start the day...drinking coffee on the deck and enjoying the breeze!

Back in Business

My new camera is the pretty red one in the middle.

It matches my laptop!

I will try not to lose this one (like my last Canon) or drop it in the toilet (like my first Canon) or put it through the washing machine (like my pretty purple Razor phone.)

I love my hubby who replaced my camera, bag, and memory chip as an early birthday present so I will have it on vacation. <3

Hope to send lots of pretty pics from Sunset Beach!